ARANSAS PASS (KIII NEWS) - The athletic department at A.C. Blunt Middle School in Aransas Pass is getting a little help from one of the biggest stars in the NFL.

Their football and volleyball teams recently received a grant from the Justin J. Watt Foundation. The grant is to replace equipment and uniforms that had become outdated.

"We've all been complaining that they look like basketball uniforms and that our numbers aren't staying on, and we don't have the appropriate attire for these volleyball games," A.C. Blunt eighth-grader Savannah Hallan said.

Instead of focusing on plays and formations before matches, the girls in the volleyball team have been Scotch taping together their jersey numbers and letters. Members of the football team said they are tired of running onto the field in old hand-me-downs too -- that is, until now.

"It's going to be cool," A.C. Blunt eighth-grader Jody Martinez said. "We're going to have better jerseys than the varsity."

That's because they are receiving a $9,000 grant from the J.J. Watt Foundation for new uniforms and equipment, something they applied for earlier this year.

"We contacted the Justin J. Watt Foundation about possibly getting some funding. They had a website and we looked into it, filled out the application and they got back to us very quickly," A.C. Blunt Head Coach Phillip Dromgoole said. "It was really an easy process."

Though they will have to wait until next year to debut the new look, their coach said it makes playing in these wear-and-tear jerseys a whole lot easier.